Different systems for guiding people in situations of danger and accident, such as in fire situations, to the emergency exits of different buildings, tunnels or vessels are known in the art. These are various visual ways to mark the desired routes, such as lightings of emergency exit routes, or otherwise, e.g. emergency exit routes marked with reflective paint or tape.
One prior-art illuminated stripe is presented in publication FI108106B. It presents a conductor element, which comprises at least an electrically-conductive elongated conductor part, to which a number of components that are consecutive to each other in the longitudinal direction are fixed, e.g. elements that bring about a lighting function or corresponding. The conductor part and the components are surrounded with a casing part.
The distinguishing of stripes in situations of danger and accident is a problem because the lighting of the stripes typically requires electric current and it would be important to distinguish a stripe also in situations in which electric current is not available for some reason.
Prior-art solutions also include phosphorized stripes. The phosphorized surface radiates light also afterwards, when it is not in the light. This phenomenon is known as phosphorescence. In the phenomenon, a phosphorescent material absorbs electromagnet radiation and emits lower-energy radiation. A phosphorized surface thus emits radiation with a delay, i.e. a surface exposed to visible light incandesces light also in the dark.
In prior-art solutions, phosphorized stripes absorb light into themselves from sunlight or from lighting that is separate and distant from the stripe. This light is often not sufficient to illuminate the phosphorized surface adequately enough for the phosphorized surface to illuminate the stripe brightly enough for long enough in dark conditions.
In many applications, such as in hotels, passenger ships or tunnels, there are specified emergency exits in emergency situations, which exits people should follow in evacuation circumstances. On the other hand, in a fire situation a predefined emergency exit may be impossible owing to the location of the fire, in which case prior-art solutions might direct in the wrong direction or even towards the fire. The stripe markings known in the art that are coated with a phosphorized substance are only static stripes, and a dynamic control that is distinguished from the static stripe cannot be connected to them. Prior-art stripes containing a surface coated with a phosphorized substance do not either function in the type of dark places, in which there is no other lighting, such as e.g. in dark tunnels. Also production of coated stripe markings or stripes that contain surfaces coated with phosphorized substance is complex and costly and the robustness of the coating doesn't always fulfil all requirements.
The most recent illuminated stripes can use high-bright LEDs. These kind of LEDs offer high brightness and luminosity but at the same time they create lot of heat. The heat production of the light sources of the prior art solutions degrades reliability, durability and luminosity of the light sources. Also excess heat that is generated in the casing part and not transferred away from the light sources or other components, can damage or affect not only the properties of the light sources but also properties of the casing part so that the effective luminosity of the illuminated stripe is degraded. Light stripes can also have other components inside the casing part and also these components can suffer from too high temperatures.